Chemical feeding device



Dec. 16, 1952 ARMBRUST 2,621,795

CHEMICAL FEEDING DEVICE '1 Filed April 19, 1950 i INVENTOR. Hen/y M.flrmbr,z1 sf AT ORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 16, 1952 2,621,795 CHEMICAL FEEDING DEVICE Henry N. Armbrus t, Jamestown, R. I., assignor to Proportioneers, Inc., a corporation of Rhode Island Application April 19, 1950, Serial No. 156,906

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a metering device for feeding a certain quantity of liquid from a supply source into some other conduit and is sometimes referred to as an Educt-o-meter.

Chemical proportioning deals with the handling of one or more liquids and supplying them to some other liquid or mixing them with some other material. Measured quantities are dealt with and the frequency of the supply is also a factor in the operation of any proportioning apparatus. If a vacuum is being used for supplying one quantity of liquid, the variations in the vacuum must be taken into account in order to control the amount fed. Sometimes the duration of the vacuum is also of importance with regard to the amount fed, and adjustments to change the variations are also factors which must be dealt with in any apparatus of this character.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a feeding device for liquid in which a definite quantity of the liquid may be fed by a partial vacuum or reduction in pressure regardless of the variation in the amount of the vacuum.

Another object of this invention is to provide a liquid feeding device which will cause a definite amount of liquid to be introduced regardless of the duration of the application of the vacuum so that it is independent as to point of time.

Another object of this invention is to provide a feeding device which may be automatic in its action and thus not require any manual manipulation at each instant that a fiow into which the fluid is desired to be injected may start and finish.

Another object of this invention is to provide an arrangement whereby the definite quantity of liquid which is fed may be determined by simple adjustment.

Another object of this invention is to keep the governing piston in view by transparent portions so that the rate at which the liquid is fed may be observed and judged by reason of the travel of the piston.

Another object of this invention is to eliminate the use of small orifices, needle valves, and the like which may easily become clogged.

Another object of this invention is to provide ports which may be fully opened and then fully closed without any throttling so that the ports are partly closed at any time during the operation of the device.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described and particularly'pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the Educt-o-meter as provided in the system for supply of water to a swimming pool with a control for intermittent flow; and

Figure 2 is a sectional View of the Educt-ometer by itself showing the operating parts thereof.

In proceeding with this invention, I provide an Educt-o-meter connected to an eductor which will cause a suction upon the Educt-o-meter each time certain conditions occur for flow of liquid such, for instance, as the intermittent flow of liquid into a swimming pool to keep the pool, from which the water constantly drains, up to a predetermined level. The Educt-o-meter is provided with a check valve so that no liquid can return into it and also with a piston which when some suction does occur will rise and shut oflf the flow of liquid in the chamber in which the piston is located so that the chamber between the piston and the outlet will be a measure of the quantity of liquid which will be fed. A means is provided for adjusting the piston in the cylinder so that the variation in the quantity of liquid may be controlled.

With reference to the drawings, a pump is designated In which will draw such, for instance, as water through the supply line H causing the same to flow through the discharge line l2 to some point desired such, for instance, as a swimming pool. The pump is by-passed by a conduit [3 connected through an injection nozzle Hi to the supply line I I and connected to the discharge line 12 by the conduit l5. A solenoid-operated valve [6 is also in this conduit 15 and an eductor I! is located in this conduit I3, iii. The Educt-ometer I8 is connected to the eductor by the tube i9 and also is connected to the source of chemical solution 20 by a tube 2|. Upon certain conditionshappening, contacts 22 are closed to operate the solenoid 23 to open the valve [6.

The eductor l8 comprises a transparent tubular body 25 having a packing gland 26 at its lower end through which a rod 21 extends and loosely fits within this tubular body 25. The tube 2| provides a conduit to the lower end of this tubular body 25 so that liquid may enter the space 28 between the rod 2'! and the bore of the tubular body. A chamber 29 is provided between the upper end 3E) of the rod Zl and a closure fitting 3| at the upper end of the body 25. This fitting has a bore 32 of a size smaller than the chamber 29 and a check valve 33 enters the upper end of this bore so as to close the bore to passage of liquid downwardly but the valve is of such shape that it may rise to permit passage of fluid upwardly through the bore. This valve is limited in its upward movement by cap 34 to which the conduit I9 is connected. l'he lower end of the bore 32 is provided with a valve seat 35 so that the upper end 36 of a piston 31 may engage this seat and close the passage 32. The lower end 38 of this piston is of reduced diameter and fits in the conical recessed end 30 of the rod 21. The piston 37 normally sets upon the upper end of this rod and the distance between the upper end of the piston and the valve seat 35 determines the amount of liquid in this chamber 29 which will be supplied through the outlet. This distance may be adjusted by varying the position of the rod 27 by moving it through the stuffing gland 26. Graduations on the outer surface of the Educt-o-meter, as indicated at 40, will show the position of the piston 31 or rod 2'! and thus the volumetric amount of liquid which will be supplied at each actuation of the device.

Assuming the pump I is operating and supplying liquid through the conduit 12 then each time the solenoid valve I6 is opened, liquid will be drawn down through the conduits l3 and I and through the eductor H which will cause a suction on the tube 19. Thus, any liquid in the chamber 29 will be drawn out through the check valve 33 and supplied to the conduit l2. As the liquid is drawn out of the chamber 29, other liquid will be drawn into the chamber 29 through the tube 21 and along the rod through the space 28. However, as this liquid is drawn out upwardly in this direction, the piston 31 will rise with this flowing liquid and engage the valve seat 35 and thus close off the flow after the amount of liquid above the piston or between its upper end 36 and the valve seat has been passed through the discharge conduit 32. A return of this liquid cannot occur because of the check valve 33. Thus, so long as the solenoid valve 16 is open and the eductor is creating suction on the pipe l9, regardless of the length of time, there will be only the volume of liquid in the chamber 29 supplied to the conduit 12. Thus, just so long as the vacuum is enough to be above the minimum requirement to cause a flow and a rise of the piston 31, the unit volume of the chamber 29 will be supplied, and this regardless of the time element. When the solenoid valve I6 closes, the eductor then causes no more suction and the piston 31 will drop back through the liquid which is in the chamber to its normal at rest position on the rod 21 and wait in this position until another operation of the solenoid valve occurs and then the action will be repeated. Thus, each time the solenoid valve opens and the eductor operates to cause suction, the volumeof the chamber 29 will be supplied into the conduit i2. In this way, the opening to the bore 32 is always either wide open or closed and there is no throttling of the supply control; thus no clogging by impurities sticking will occur.

I claim:

1. In a chemical feeding device, a tubular chamber having an inlet thereto at one end thereof and an outlet therefrom at the opposite end thereof, means to connect said inlet continuously and without restriction to a source of liquid, an eductor connected to the outlet side of said chamber, said chamber providing a single passage therealong adjacent the outlet from the chamber, and a member of a diameter substantially less than the diameter of said chamber to be freely movable in said chamber along said single passage and normally positioned a distance from the outlet end and movable with the liquid upon suction of the eductor to draw liquid from the 4 chamber toward the outlet, said member being of a size and shape to close the outlet.

2. In a chemical feeding device, an upright tubular chamber having an inlet thereto at one end thereof and an outlet therefrom at the opposite end thereof, means to connect said inlet continuously and without restriction to a source of liquid, an eductor connected to the outlet side of. said chamber, said chamber providing a single passage therealong adjacent the outlet from the chamber, and a member of a diameter substantially less than the diameter of said chamber to be freely movable in said chamber and urged to a position a distance from the outlet end and movable with the liquid upon suction of the eductor to draw liquid from the chamber toward the outlet, said member being of a size and shape to close the outlet to remain in such closing position until suction is released and the member moves through the liquid by gravity to the position to which it is urged.

3. In a chemical feeding device as in claim 1 wherein the chamber is vertical and the member drops through the liquid by gravity when suction is released.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a closed tubular measuring chamber having an inlet thereto at one end thereof and an outlet therefrom at the oposite end thereof, said chamber providing a single passage therealong adjacent the outlet from the chamber, a member of a diameter substantially less than the diameter of said chamber to be freely reciprocable in said chamber along said single passage and normally positioned distant from the outlet end thereof, means connected to the outlet to draw liquid through the chamber and cause, by the flow of liquid, the member to move toward said outlet, said member being of a size and shape to block the outlet after the liquid between the member and outlet has passed out of the outlet and a check valve in said outlet to prevent return flow of liquid therein.

- 5. In an apparatus as in claim 4 wherein the only connection to the outlet conduit is through the chamber.

6. In an apparatus as in claim 4 wherein means are provided to adjust the position of the member with reference to the outlet to vary the volume of liquid drawn from the chamber.

7. In an apparatus as in claim 4 wherein the chamber has its axis vertical and a rod on which the member rests by gravity is vertically adjustable in the chamber to vary the position of the member with reference to the outlet.

HENRY N. ARMBRUST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 417,046 Kendrick Dec, 10, 1889 637,250 Hall Nov. 21, 1889 833,045 Graese Oct. 9, 1906 962,911 Morris June 28,1910 990,530 Duftyl Apr. 25, 1911 1,084,380 \lvilliai'ns, J1 Jan. 13, 1914 1,991,235 True et al Feb. 12, 1935 2,081,794 Echagaray May 25, 1937 2,128,721 Watts Aug. 30, 1938 2,218,773 Sparling Oct. 22, 1940 

